§ Mr. FrenchTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made towards establishing the Employment Tribunals Service as an executive agency; and if he will make a statement. [21662]
§ Mr. LangThe Government announced on 9 May last year their decision to establish the Employment Tribunals Service as an executive agency. The agency will be launched on 1 April 1997. I am confident that agency status will extend to the tribunals administration the benefits of improved efficiency and quality of service that we have seen in other DTI agencies. Copies of the ETS framework document have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
I have set the following targets for the ETS for 1997–98:
- Industrial tribunals
- To bring to a first hearing 85 per cent. of single cases within 26 weeks of receipt of application.
- To reduce the disparity in performance between offices in relation to the above target so that all offices achieve at least 65 per cent.
- To issue decisions within one week of signature by the chairman in 90 per cent. of cases.
- To reduce the administrative cost of a completed case by 3 per cent. in real terms.
- At least 80 per cent. of tribunal cases and 85 per cent. of tribunal judiciary to express satisfaction, in surveys, with the service offered by the agency.
- Employment appeals tribunal
- Seventy-five per cent. of appeals registered for full hearing to be ready for listing within six months of receipt.
- Seventy-five per cent. of appeals registered for preliminary hearing to be ready for listing within six weeks of receipt.